We recently connected with Allison Van Houten and have shared our conversation below.

Allison, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

The field of Interior Design has long been regarded as a luxury only available to those with expansive estates and budgets in the hundreds of thousands. If you are unable to afford top of the line furnishings, artwork, and accessories, you are typically expected to piece together a space with a combination of lower quality items or make do with what you have been given by well meaning family members. With the popularity of HGTV and Pinterest, it is a little easier to achieve an elevated look in your home, but nothing replaces the expertise of a professional guiding you through the process of curating a home that not only looks beautiful, but functions as a sanctuary of peace and productivity for everyone under its roof.

My passion as both an interior stylist and a professional organizer is to make a well designed space achievable to everyone, regardless of their budget constraints. I believe that the world can be changed through the power of a household that cultivates both physical and emotional health, meaningful relationships, and intellectual growth. It has been a challenge to create options for those that would typically not have the budget to hire a professional, while also managing to be a profitable business.

I have been able to develop several options for my clients to address their needs without blowing their budget. One of my most popular services is my 2 hour consultations for $250. During this short period of time I am able to accomplish so much from selecting a cohesive paint color palette, to restyling rooms with existing pieces, and troubleshooting space planning issues that have been a source of stress for years! Transparency and honesty is a core value of my business, so I prefer to charge flat fees for all of my services to avoid any surprises.

I also provide an extremely affordable virtual design option that has allowed me to work with clients all over the country! I have my clients fill out a “Style Quiz” with information about their space including budget, design preferences, and any inspirational photos that capture their ideal end result. I use the information to create a mood board and shopping list with links to everything needed to complete the space! In order to keep the price low for my clients, I found a way to monetize my process on the back end through commissions on the items I recommend on their shopping list, which comes at no extra cost for my clients. I am also able to share my virtual designs with my followers on Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration, and typically continue to make commissions for several months afterward as people come across my posts. This has required me to learn a lot about social media marketing and SEO optimization, but it has made it possible to keep the service accessible to everyone from college students decorating their dorm room to single moms sprucing up their spaces!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Thread of Gold Home is an interior styling and professional organizing business with a heart for the homemaker. The concept for Thread of Gold Home was inspired by a Laura Ingalls Wilder quote where she said “And just as a little thread of gold, running through a fabric, brightens the whole garment, so women’s work at home, while only the doing of little things, like the golden gleam of sunlight runs through and brightens all the fabric of civilization.” I believe that the work at home is critical to ensuring a life of peace and productivity for you and your family, whether you are a stay at home mom or work outside of your home. My goal is to help you create a beautiful, functional space that meets your family’s needs, and gives you the freedom to spend time on the things you care about most.

As a mother to three young children, I am acutely aware of the impact that our homes have on every member of the family, so I took my passions and turned them into a business for other homemakers struggling to create that ideal environment for their own families. I do this by combining interior design and organization because I firmly believe the two go hand in hand. There is no point in having a magazine-worthy home if it does not function well for everyone that lives inside of it. I have had so many amazing experiences already since I began in late 2020, and nothing brings me greater joy than sharing what I have learned with women that are struggling to make their homes a place of peace.​

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Getting very clear on who my ideal client is has been instrumental in building a base of clients that share my core values and are satisfied with my services. I worked hard at the beginning of my business to target my messaging, branding, and offers to women that resonate with my mission so that I would not be filtering through a large pool of potential clients that would be dissatisfied with what I have to offer.

It can be tempting to be everything for everyone at the early stages of a business, but niching down and being someone that specializes in a certain demographic, design style, or service builds your authority and makes you easy to refer for more business!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Finding new clients has always been an overwhelming task for me. It was always important to me to not rely on my personal network to be my clients, and I did not want to come across as “salesy”, so I had to be creative in my methods. Though I have explored many different avenues of advertising, local Facebook groups have surprisingly been the most successful way to generate new leads! There are always people searching for decorators and organizers, so I am able to offer my services without cold messaging or spending money on ads that aren’t getting in front of the right people. Most groups have rules about self promotion and designate a day of the week for posting about your business, so I make sure to follow the rules and schedule regular posts on the designated days.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.threadofgoldhome.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/threadofgoldhome
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/threadofgoldhome
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/thread-of-gold-home-spring?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.yelp.com/biz/thread-of-gold-home-spring?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Image Credits
Whitney Gilmer Photography